Best Restaurants for Special Occasions in South Philly

Cannot say enough good things. It is a must for every visit to Philly and every Christmas morning each year. The service is above and beyond, food is exceptional and the atmosphere is so special.

This has become out Christmas Eve tradition to have lunch at Craftsman Row. This year we had Marissa as a waitress and she was incredible.

Great food, ambience, and service. Alexis took great care of us. The chicken Milanese and poblano peppers were a hit. Drinks were excellent. A nice early Christmas treat for our family!

We had a wonderful evening at River Twice. From the warm, friendly greetings by the hostess and the wait staff, to the food itself, this all made for an excellent dinner in one of Philly's most interesting neighborhoods. The meal itself was a great value, with four noteworthy- and interesting- small courses including a terrific dessert. I also recommend the wine pairing.

Wow! This was an awesome experience! As a fan of the Rocky film series, I knew about this place from the Rocky Balboa and Creed films. It is so much more than that, though. As the founder was a major player in early 20th century opera recordings, The Victor Cafe has an opera theme permeating its soul. The walls are adorned with photos of the opera greats, opera music plays softly in the background, and, most importantly, the waitstaff are all classically-trained opera performers. Every half hour or so, they gather everyone’s attention to perform a selection from a popular opera, complete with a synopsis of the story they’re about to tell through their performance. Every performer was wonderful and this made for a unique, joyful and memorable experience for my family. I grew up on Italian cuisine, and this was among the best I’ve had in a long time. We shared the Calamari Fritti, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that we could have substituted Smelts for the calamari. This was a staple of our Christmas Eve dinners when I was young. My Veal Saltimbocca was perfect, as was my Daughter’s Prince Igor (penne with a vodka blush, salmon, tomato, and Asparagus). We enjoyed our cannolis while watching our last performance of the evening. Breathtaking! Special shout out to our server, Brenna, who took our dessert order mere seconds after completing her duet! Remarkable! I can’t say enough about The Victor Cafe; if you’re looking for a classic South Philly Italian Restaurant, paired with one of the most wonderful and unique experiences you’ll find today, then this is the place for you.